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Is it still possible to make a film about the Second World War with an original and shocking twist? A positive response comes from “The Zone of Interest”, an unmissable work by Jonathan Glazer released this week in our theaters.
At the center of the plot is a German family who lives next to the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz during the Second World War: from this starting point, a film develops that thinks in a formidable way about shots, off-screen and, more specifically, general, on cinematographic language.
The images do not show us what happens inside the concentration camp, but focus on the daily routine of the characters, between a mother intent on raising her children, household cleaning and a garden to be cultivated as best as possible to make a good impression on The guests. Beyond the walls that mark the end of the family’s ownership, you can see the towers and roofs of Auschwitz, or the smoke of the trains that are arriving at the camp.
Through this extraordinary staging, a film is developed that can undoubtedly be defined as a very strong and disturbing audiovisual experience, also thanks to the impressive work done on the sound, both in the management of the distressing noises of the camp and for the electronic music of Mica Levi, composer of films such as “Jackie” by Pablo Larraín, “Monos” by Alejandro Landes and “Under the Skin”, the previous film by Jonathan Glazer dated 2013.
A shocking film from start to finish
The basis of the film is the remarkable 2014 novel of the same name by Martin Amis, a British writer who passed away last year, precisely in the days in which the Cannes Film Festival was taking place where “The Zone of Interest” was presented for the first time and where it won the Special Jury Grand Prix. Shocking from start to finish, “The Zone of Interest” is an almost unique work in its stylistic modalities: for its formal rigor the films of Michael Haneke come to mind , but perhaps the most comparable film is “Son of Saul” by László Nemes, a film also presented at Cannes in 2015, which recounted an experience in a concentration camp with equally original and alienating audiovisual choices. The conclusion of the work is also notable by Glazer, who performs a risky game of glances between past and present that the public will not easily forget.
After having obtained numerous international awards, “The Zone of Interest” will also play its cards at the Oscars: it has obtained five nominations and is the huge favorite in the category of best international film where it will represent the United Kingdom.
Bob Marley: One Love
Among the most anticipated new releases of the weekend in theaters there is also “Bob Marley: One Love” by Reinaldo Marcus Green. It is a biopic dedicated to Bob Marley, an artist who overcame various difficulties during his existence and composed songs revolutionary, which still today are a song of freedom. With this film we wanted to pay homage to the life and career of one of the musical icons still capable of inspiring different generations, through the message of love and unity transmitted by his music. The intentions are noble and the story is naturally very interesting but, as often happens in operations of this type, the screenplay plays too much by accumulation, without being able to adequately focus on the extraordinary personality of the main character. The cut chosen by Reinaldo Marcus Green is too conventional and didactic, despite there being no shortage of exciting moments with excellent rhythm. Narrating an icon like Marley is certainly not easy, but something better could have been done, opting for less linear narrative trajectories and risking even more in the direction phase. The lead actor Kingsley Ben-Adir performed well.